Fixed for Four
In April of 2006, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia adopted the Fixed-For-Four tuition plan, which guarantees a fixed rate of tuition for 4 years, or 12 successive semesters. However, the plan is not as simple as the name “Fixed-For-Four” indicates. It is important that you, as students and parents of students at Georgia State University, make yourselves aware of the details of Fixed-For-Four so that you can plan your financial needs for college tuition.
Board of Regents’ Rules
The tuition you pay depends upon the semester in which you first enrolled in a University System of Georgia (USG) college or university.
If you enrolled at Georgia State prior to fall semester 2006, you are not eligible for the Fixed-For-Four plan. Tuition is set on an annual basis and will probably increase modestly each year.
If you began in fall semester 2006 or later, then the tuition charged the first semester of enrollment will not increase for 4 years, or 12 successive semesters. For example, if you first enrolled in fall semester 2008, tuition would be fixed through summer semester 2012.
If you do not enroll for a semester or more, those semesters still count as part of the four years in which tuition is fixed. Taking a semester or semesters off does not stop the Fixed for Four guaranteed tuition of 12 successive semesters. From a financial perspective, you should have a strong incentive to enroll each semester, including summer semesters.
If you transfer from one USG college or university to another, your tuition will be based on your first semester of enrollment at a USG college or university. For example, if you first enrolled at Georgia Perimeter College fall semester 2007, and then transferred to Georgia State University fall semester 2008, you would pay the same tuition as those students who enrolled at Georgia State in fall 2007.
Students who transfer from non-USG colleges and universities will also be charged the guaranteed tuition rate effective the year they transfer. However, this rate will remain fixed for only two years, or 6 consecutive semesters.
If you do not complete your degree within four years, you will see a sharp rise in tuition in your fifth year of enrollment. For example, if you began fall semester 2006, you tuition would be fixed at $1,946/semester through summer 2010. But, after that you could see an increase of 30 to 60 percent.